The Aquarius' Birthday
by tsugumi kohina
Summary: That particular day always lingered in Camus' mind. Not because it was his birthday, but because of something a little different...


**Disclaimer: I don't and never will own Saint Seiya, which rightfully belongs to Masami Kurumada.**

Camus waited patiently at the training grounds in Siberia. It's been two hours, and his two students, or rather, Isaac and Hyoga, weren't here yet. The Aquarius had gone to Sanctuary earlier that day, so he promised his disciples he will be returning at twelve and will meet them at their usual training spot.

However, his students were late. They never were before...

Just then, Camus could see a flash of green and yellow hair coming towards him. Finally!

Isaac and Hyoga stopped in front of their master, panting, sweating. Even their cheeks turned red.

"Where were you?" Camus said coldly.

"Sorry, Master..." Hyoga panted, "we were playing snowball fights with the other kids..."

"I've been waiting for two hours," Camus continued, "and both of you were playing _snowball fights?_"

Hyoga and Isaac hung their heads guiltily. The Aquarius saint sighed in exasperation. "I'll forgive you just this once. But next time you're late, I'll give you twice the training."

Isaac widened his eyes in shock. "_Twice_ the training? But...but that's impossible for us to accomplish! We're still eight!"

"That's why I told you NOT TO BE LATE!" Camus snapped. At that point, Hyoga and Isaac kept their mouth shut. Their master was usually a very calm person, but if he took the trouble to snap at them...they're doomed.

Camus sighed again. "Forget about it for now, alright? Let's just get on with the training."

The two nodded, and for the rest of the day, trained to become Athena's saints.

_**The next morning...**_

Camus got up from his bed. It was four in the morning, and the sky was still dark, but he got up anyway. Being the Aquarius gold saint, he was used to the cold weather. When he passed Hyoga and Isaac's room, somehow...he felt the urge to go check on them. Carefully, he slit the door open.

Camus immediately froze. Inside, there were no signs of Isaac or Hyoga, only a mass of used blankets and messy beds. In a flash he grabbed his coat and ran outside, into the freezing grounds of Siberia.

The Aquarius searched and searched and searched...but with no luck. He ran to the training grounds, neighbour's houses, markets, everywhere...and his two disciples was not yet to be seen. Still looking, Camus thought about the possible reasons on why would his students leave like this. Nothing ever caused his students to run away..._unless_..._unless they got upset about yesterday and ran off...?_

The gold saint began to blame himself. Is he too hard on them? But they got used to getting scolded like that! They wouldn't run just because of that! _Or will they?_ Camus ran faster. He checked every possible places that his students might visit, thrice. Still, fate seems to toy with him, and he couldn't help thinking..._what if he never found them?_

Okay, they were noisy and naughty and exasperating at times, but still...if they were gone...

Camus shook his head from the thought. _Impossible._ However, he started to worry more when it had been an hour with no luck. Finally, he decided to go back. It's hard to tell in the dark, but people passing by could see that he looked pale, and of course, exhausted.

He opened the door of his hut slowly, his eyes dimming like a broken light bulb.

But when he looked up, to his surprise, were both Hyoga and Isaac, asleep on the sofa. The blonde-haired child seemed to hear something, and so opened his eyes. "Camus-sensei...? Where have you been?"

Camus was speechless. They were here? Waiting for him while he looked for them?

"W...where have _you_ been?" he said, "I was looking for you!"

"Oh...that..."Hyoga sat up, "hey Isaac! It's time!" he said, shaking his friend's body.

"W...what...?" Isaac stirred, and opened his eyes. "Time for what?"

But Isaac immediately understood when Hyoga gave him a you-know-what-I-mean look.

The two left the sofa, scurrying toward the kitchen like a pair of mice. Shortly, they came back with a birthday cake in their hands. "Happy Birthday, Master!"

The Aquarius was even more speechless hearing that. Had he heard right? Are his ears still normal?

"You mean...you went outside at _four in the morning_ to get this?" Camus asked, his eyes warm and his expression softened.

Hyoga nodded, and handed him the cake. "We have to. We don't have any more time yesterday because we trained, right? So...this is the only chance."

"And we're sorry, Master," Isaac added, "for lying..."

"Lying?"

Isaac shifted uncomfortably. "Well...remember when we said we were late because we played snowball fights?"

Camus felt a surge of surprise running inside his body. "You mean...when I was waiting for you yesterday...you were preparing this?"

"Yup," Hyoga replied, "turns out, two hours wasn't enough, we don't have time to bake it. So Isaac and I got up early around four to bake the cake. We asked the baker in town to help us. But when we came back, you were gone."

Camus looked down at the cake he was holding. His students...Isaac and Hyoga...had woken up at four and ran into town just to make him a birthday cake. The two looked at him, smiling, eyes big and round and so full of happiness. The Aquarius felt warmer than ever...even in Siberia's freezing-you-to-death weather conditions. And finally...he did it. He released the tears he had been holding these past few years, the tears of joy, the tears of deep love.

Putting the cake down, he hugged his two children. "Thankyou...both of you..."

Isaac and Hyoga was stunned for a while, but cried too soon after and hugged their dear master back.

_**Seven years later, in Kido's Mansion...**_

The turquoise-haired man gazed outside the window of his room, recalling memories of the past and precious moments. Some were sad, and some were touching. It was the very same day when his disciples had given him the birthday cake..._February 7._

"Camus?" a voice called.

The Aquarius turned and saw a man with long blue curls and sky blue eyes looking at him.

"What's wrong, Milo?"

"Would you come down for a while?"

Camus sighed, but did as he was told. By the time he finished walking down the stairs, Milo led him into the kitchen. And there, he saw, were his gold saint friends, from Aries until Pisces, standing and smiling from ear to ear. Even Deathmask was present.

The Bronze kids were there as well, with his student Hyoga being the middle one among his friends, holding a very gigantic cake.

Camus couldn't help but smile. "Did Aldebaran make this?"

Hyoga laughed and the Taurus blushed. "Well...yeah..."

Then the ice saint laughed...a very rare phenomenon among the gold saints.

** ~THE END~**

**A/N: Happy Birthday to Aquarius Camus and Aquarius Degel =p**

**Reviews please? XDD**


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